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Map: Attempted abduction

GILBERT, Ariz. – Police are searching for the person who tried to abduct a 12-year-old girl in Gilbert Thursday morning.

Police said the attempted abduction occurred while the Mesquite Junior High School student was on her way to her bus stop.

The girl was walking through the Sahara Palms Apartments near Country Club Drive and Guadalupe Road when a male wearing dark clothes and a ski mask grabbed her by the arm and attempted to remove her from the area.

Gilbert police spokesman Sgt. Jesse Sanger said the girl screamed, pulled her arm away and ran to the bus stop where she used a friend's cellphone to call 911.

Police officers searched the area but did not locate anyone suspicious.

"It's still an active investigation," Sanger said. "They're still looking."

Police are stepping up patrols in the area.

Gilbert Public Schools issued a written statement to parents informing them of the incident.